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In a few hundred years, doctors will scan their patient with a handheld device called a Tricorder to diagnose virtually any ailment. That’s according to Star Trek. Way back here in the 21st century, we’re not supposed to be anywhere near that utopian technology. But we may not be as far off as you’d think. That’s according to an XPRIZE competition inspired by the iconic show.
Searching for the real-life medical tricorder, in 2012 the XPRIZE Foundation partnered with San Diego-based Qualcomm to launch the Tricorder XPRIZE. And recently, XPRIZE announced the winner.
The contest challenged participants to create a Tricorder device that could diagnose 12 different diseases and capture real-time vital signs with a user-friendly handheld device. Such a device would be a major stepping stone to democratizing healthcare, essentially making reliable, home-based diagnostics available to anyone, anywhere in the world.
The nature of healthcare is currently sporadic and reactive; we go to the doctor once we’re already sick or injured. What if instead, healthcare was continuous and proactive, focusing more on preventing illness in the first place rather than on treating it once it’s already manifested?
It’s hoped that Tricorder-like devices can keep patients healthier while also easing the burden on healthcare professionals. The shortage of doctors that currently exists—especially in remote and rural areas—is likely to worsen in the future.
The contest’s three basic rules were the following:
1. Each team could take its own approach to its Tricorder’s design, but the finished product had to weigh five pounds or less.
2. The Tricorders must be able to diagnose 10 core health conditions, including anemia, diabetes, and pneumonia; a choice of three elective health conditions in a list that includes hypertension, melanoma, and shingles; and all five of the required vital signs.
3. Each Tricorder system must include a way for consumers to input basic health information, be accessible remotely via the internet, and be compatible with any smartphone or tablet.
Sounds like a tall order, but 312 teams from 38 countries stepped up to the challenge. After whittling down the competition and honing their tech over five years, a winner and runner-up were chosen last week and awarded $2.5 million and $1 million for their work, respectively.

Pennsylvania-based Final Frontier Medical Devices took first place for their machine called DxtER. DxtER uses a set of non-invasive sensors to check vital signs, body chemistry and biological functions, and pulls data from clinical emergency medicine. This data is synthesized by an artificial intelligence engine, and DxtER comes up with a diagnosis it claims is both quick and accurate.
The team was a family affair, consisting primarily of brothers George and Basil Harris, an engineer and a physician, respectively. They had help from their sister who’s a health policy expert, and their brother who’s a practicing urologist. Though everyone who worked on the project had a full-time job elsewhere, they put in unpaid hours on nights and weekends to make their vision of the Tricorder a reality.
Taiwan-based Dynamical Biomarkers Group, a research team from the country’s National Central University, took second place with its prototype for a smartphone-based device that pairs diagnostic algorithms with analytical methodology. The three-module system includes a Smart Vital-Sense Monitor, Smart Blood-Urine Test Kit, and a Smart Scope Module, each of which is wirelessly connected to a smartphone equipped with an app that guides the user through diagnostic tests.
In the contest’s final round, the two teams had to put together 45 kits for testing, making sure the kits could be used by non-medical professionals. The kits were subjected to diagnostic experience evaluations and consumer testing, and were rated for disease diagnostics, vital signs, and consumer experience.
Both teams' devices ended up surpassing the competition’s benchmarks for disease diagnosis and the user experience requirements.
Speaking about the Tricorder XPRIZE, Qualcomm Chairman Paul Jacobs said, “The competition is an opportunity to spread the availability of health care to anyone anywhere, even those in developing countries with few skilled health care professionals…mobile health care will allow us to be measured all the time, so we’ll immediately see if we’re better, if the treatment is working, and if the medication needs to be changed. It will no longer be ‘Take this pill and call me in the morning.’”
Though the Tricorder contest has been won, we don’t quite have Star Trek’s Tricorder yet—it was a single all-in-one device, while DxtERs are more like kits. They include sensors that require physical contact with the skin or bodily fluids to do their work. The Tricorder scanned patients at a distance, and it provided universal diagnosis instead of covering a select handful of conditions.
That said, both Final Frontier and Dynamical Biomarkers showed the quick progress being made in miniaturized sensors and computing. The diagnostic portions of their devices aren’t expensive, specialized computer/software combinations; they’re powered by everyday smartphones and the apps that run on them.
Going forward, the sensors used in Tricorder-like devices will get progressively smaller and more capable, expanding their list of diagnosable diseases. The technology developed in the competition may also seed future devices—Final Frontier’s founders have reportedly applied for seven patents involved in their invention.
XPRIZE and Qualcomm have committed $3.8 million to continued testing and development of the Tricorders and will support FDA testing of them too. The companies are even planning to create a documentary and a museum exhibit about the device and its potential.
We may not have a full-fledged Tricorder yet, but judging by this investment and enthusiasm, it seems like just a matter of time until people all over the world can monitor their health better than Dr. McCoy himself.
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Our current education system is not fit for purpose. Student mental health is at an all-time low, and student debt is at an all-time high. Dominated by uninspiring curricula and an over-emphasis on short-term knowledge and outdated skills, the entire industry is ripe for disruption.
Better education contributes to better citizens and, ultimately, a better society. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” We need to equip young minds with the skills to create a more exciting future, both for themselves and for the species at large. Above all, we need to make learning more inspiring, relevant and fulfilling.
Several technology-driven trends are disrupting education systems around the world. Together, these trends are offering innovative solutions for a flawed system and contributing to more impactful learning experiences.
1. The Digital Classroom
The internet has exponentially increased our access to information. We are seeing the rise of massive open online courses, also known as MOOCs. Last year, there were 58 million students enrolled in MOOCs with 700 universities across thousands of courses. Many of these courses, including those offered by prestigious universities, are available for free or even with official institutional accreditation.

"Digital learning breaks the physical limitations of the traditional classroom and allows an educator to reach millions of students from around the world at a minimal cost."

Though not yet perfect, these courses are becoming more interactive and project-based. They break the physical limitations of the traditional classroom and allow an educator to reach millions of students from around the world at a minimal cost. Individuals from developing countries can now access and enroll in courses offered by the most prestigious universities in the world.
Even in traditional classrooms, this access to online information has transformed the learning experience. Today’s innovative teaching methods involve blended learning, which includes a mix of classroom learning and online learning. For instance, students will watch online instructional videos at home while classroom time is focused on problem-solving and collaborative activities. This also gives students control over the time, pace, and place of their learning.
2. Global Online Collaboration
Peter Diamandis notes that over the next few years, three to five billion people will gain access to the internet for the very first time. Coupled with a rising number of internet-enabled mobile phones, this trend will further propel digital learning. Even more, it will enable global collaboration between learners.
According to a New Horizons report on education, we are seeing an increasing focus on global online collaboration, where “digital tools are used to support interactions around curricular objectives and promote intercultural understanding.”
As the rising billions arrive on the web, they bring with them their voices and ideas. As they participate in online learning networks, they contribute to the global empathy of our species. For instance, startup Belouga is connecting classrooms across the planet through video conferencing and online chatting. By offering a direct pathway for students to connect globally, social learning networks like this will teach them “culture, teamwork and empathy.” Educators too will be able to develop collaborations and share resources with one another.
3. The Future Workforce
According to a 2016 report by the World Economic Forum, 65 percent of children just now beginning school will find themselves working jobs as adults that don't exist today. And according to McKinsey, technology could automate 45 percent of the tasks people are currently paid to do. Jobs requiring higher-order skills, such as creativity, emotional intelligence and analytical thinking are more difficult to automate and are most likely to stick around longer.Educational systems have simply not kept pace with the changing nature of the workforce and need for 21st-century skills. So how do we prepare our students for the future?

"The evolving workforce and continuous emergence of novel industries means we need to inspire students to become lifelong learners."

Educational systems have simply not kept pace with the changing nature of the workforce and need for 21st-century skills. So how do we prepare our students for the future? According to teachers at Connections Academy, educators need to focus on three core 21st-century skills: complex problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration.
Even more, the evolving workforce and continuous emergence of novel industries means we need to inspire students to become lifelong learners. Learning can no longer be something you only do when you are enrolled in a school for a specific period of time. Instead, it should be an ongoing process of self-development and exploration of new ideas and skills.
4. Virtual and Augmented Reality
Show, not tell has always been a fundamental principle in effective teaching. Virtual and augmented reality are revolutionizing the learning experience. They allow students to take journeys into ancient history, travel across the universe and visit museums in different countries, all without leaving the classroom.
For instance, the Google Expeditions Pioneer Program will allow teachers to take their students on a journey anywhere in the world. Whether it’s “exploring coral reefs or the surface of Mars in an afternoon,” teachers can take students on immersive, virtual field trips.
One the biggest feats of such technologies is that they make the learning experience more engaging, awe-inspiring and transformative. These immersive experiences have the potential to contribute to faster learning, better retention, and improved decision-making.
5. Big Data and Artificial Intelligence
Big data offers the opportunity to both evaluate educational programs and provide more valuable learning experiences for students. It can aid researchers in identifying what teaching methods work best both for the masses and for individual students.
Data can be used to improve student results, assess each student’s strengths and weaknesses and create mass-customized programs. Algorithms can analyze student data and consequently make flexible programs that adapt to the learner based on real-time feedback.
One day, they may even aid or replace educators. One Georgia Tech professor used a virtual teaching assistant to chat with students, and some students didn’t even notice the difference.
At the moment, most online courses are still mass-made, but in the future they can be mass-customized. After all, every student is unique in personality, learning style and life path. The education they receive should reflect their individual needs.
The Future of Education
In a world of accelerating change, “disrupt or be disrupted” is the way to stay relevant. We are seeing a surge of education and technology companies that are offering innovative solutions at minimal costs. The traditional educational bodies will have no choice but to adapt and integrate these technologies or fall behind as emerging organizations offer better services.
Ultimately, our education system is a direct reflection of our values as a civilization. What and how we teach future generations will have a powerful impact on the kind of world we live in.
As American educational reformer John Dewey said, “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow."
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The human-machine mind meld is just around the corner if you believe the buzz coming out of Silicon Valley these days. But neuroethicists worry the technology poses a threat to the last bastion of privacy, our innermost thoughts, and have suggested tweaks to our fundamental human rights to protect that privacy.
Elon Musk made waves last month when it was revealed that he had launched a new company called Neuralink, aimed at building brain-computer interfaces (BCI) that would allow us to “telepathically” communicate with machines.
The tech billionaire has been talking about the need to avert the existential threat of artificial intelligence by merging with machines for some time, but he’s now put his money where his mouth is and set an ambitious target of having healthy people installing these devices as a consumer product within the decade.
Earlier this month, the head of Facebook’s Building 8 research group, Regina Dugan, said they are also working on this kind of neural technology, though they want to create a non-invasive headset rather than an implant. They envisage people being able to use their thoughts to control a cursor in augmented reality or type 100 words per minute.

"The technology is coming and is likely to have dramatic implications for privacy, consent and individual agency."

Let’s be clear, the timescales these companies have outlined are wildly optimistic, not least due to the fact that even the world’s top neuroscientists barely understand human cognition yet. Nonetheless, the technology is coming and is likely to have dramatic implications for privacy, consent and individual agency.
That’s why Marcello Ienca, a neuroethicist at the University of Basel, and Roberto Andorno, a human rights lawyer at the University of Zurich, have outlined four new human rights in the journal Life Sciences, Society and Policy designed to protect us from the potential pitfalls.
“While the body can easily be subject to domination and control by others, our mind, along with our thoughts, beliefs and convictions, are to a large extent beyond external constraint,” they write. “Yet, with advances in neural engineering, brain imaging and pervasive neurotechnology, the mind might no longer be such an unassailable fortress.”
The first proposed new right is the right to “Cognitive Liberty,” which states that people have the right to use emerging neurotechnology to modify their mental activity. But it also protects the right to refuse to use it in situations such as an employer requiring workers to take advantage of devices that would improve their performance.
Second on the list is the right to “Mental Privacy,” which would protect people from third parties accessing data about their mental activity collected by a neurotechnology device without their consent.
The impulse for this protection is obvious; tech giants are already hoovering up huge amounts of our behavioral data in their efforts to divine our innermost desires and sell us stuff. Brain data could let them bypass this guesswork and precisely tailor our online experiences in pursuit of their goals.
The authors debate whether this right should be absolute or relative, though. In certain situations, allowing the state to access the thoughts of criminals and terrorists could have obvious benefits for society. But the researchers suggest this could erode the already well-established right not to incriminate oneself, which is widely recognized across the democratic world and enshrined in the Fifth Amendment.
The last two rights are intertwined and deal with the emerging ability to not just record mental activity, but directly influence it. The right to “Mental Integrity” effectively protects against people hacking brain implants to hijack or interfere with their mental processes or erase memories.
The right to “Psychological Continuity” deals with the vaguer notion of attempts to alter someone’s personality or identity, either through similar brain hacking approaches or more subtle ones like neuromarketing, which can involve companies using insights from neuroscience to try and alter unconscious behavior and attitudes in consumers.
These proposals raise some important issues that will have to be tackled as neurotechnology becomes increasingly common. However, it remains debatable whether the invention of new human rights is the best way to tackle them.
The researchers themselves raise the problem of so-called “rights inflation,” where the push to label anything that is morally desirable as a fundamental right waters down the meaning of those already in place.
While they offer a defense, it is not entirely clear why existing rights to privacy and accompanying data protection laws would not be equally applicable to the personal and medical data collected by neurotechnology devices. Similarly, it could be argued that the final two rights overlap to the point where it may make more sense to combine them.
Either way, though, the paper cuts through the utopian futurism that has surrounded emerging neurotechnology in recent months by highlighting the potential dangers and opening up discussion on how best to tackle them.

“It’s always too early to assess a technology until it’s suddenly too late.”

The technology may still be some way off, but as Ienca told The Guardian, it’s best to be prepared. “We cannot afford to have a lag before security measures are implemented,” he said. “It’s always too early to assess a technology until it’s suddenly too late.”
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